Exercise

Life in British inner city areas recorded by photographers Nicholas Battye , Chris Steele-Perkins and Paul Trevor.

We are not required to make any notes for this exercise about the work of the three photographers who formed the Exit Photography Group , but I have added some initial thoughts below about my response to the article.

The early 70’s were a time of social and political unrest. I remember the three day working week , the miners strikes , and the seemingly never ending power cuts. My daughters were only very young at this time , my husband was one of the workers affected by the reduced working hours , but I only have happy memories of that time , the blinkers of youth I think !

We lived in Birmingham then but miles away from the deprivation of the inner city . However my sister-in-law lived there, in Nechells with two small boys , in a condemned building next to a paint works. My husband’s grandmother lived in the inner city too. The images remind me of that time and their lives and how for some life was incredibly hard.

The black and white imagery used was , and still is , perceived as authoritative and believable. The accompanying text adds context to overall mood of the time , interestingly in these increasingly austere times the same sentiments are still being expressed.